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Tuesday, 29 December 2015

How To Save Money: The Standard Hacks And Tips

We are all strapped for cash and want to save more money. It's a fact.

It's a constant struggle with all of us, money. A huge part of growing up is learning that money doesn't in fact grow on trees and that we can't keep asking our parents for something we need (read want). Hopefully, I can help show you some more ways how you can save some money just by doing these few simple things.

This will be a two-part blog post where I tell you the ways where you can cut costs and save a bit more money so you can have more to play with. The first post(that's this one) will be more of the standard ways to save money, the boring hacks if you will, but the second post will be more quirky and fun ways to save money.

Without further ado though, let's get saving in the traditional sense.

- Pay with cash. Going to the shops with your credit/debit card can make it so easy to lose track of how much money you're spending. Go with cash instead and not only are you giving yourself a budget, you can control what you're spending your money on.

- Use whatever vouchers you have and can find. Money saving vouchers can make a huge difference over time, whether it's for a supermarket or a drug store, every little helps after all. Voucher Codes is a fantastic website for this with many different opportunities to save money at different stores.

- Enter free competitions. Entering competitions that have money or shopping vouchers can pay off, literally. I've been entering competitions for years and I recently won a shopping voucher! It can feel like a waster of time, but what's the harm in trying? A site I use for competitions and free samples is Magic Freebies.

- Drop the fizzy juice. Fizzy juice can add up to quite a figure if you're having it often. Try something free and healthy and drink water instead, or in between your usual drinks, if nothing else, it'll make your juice last longer. If water doesn't sound appealing, try tea or dilution juice instead.

- Find the clearance sections in supermarkets. Every supermarket has at least one clearance section of items that are on their best before date. Who's to say the items no good though? Bagels usually cost me over £1.50 and I found a packet reduced to 40p just because they were on their best before date. I froze them and defrosted one when I wanted one, simple and money saving.

- Go through your bills. We all have something we're paying for that we don't use. An old gaming account? Phone insurance? Subscriptions? Really think about what you need and what you don't and work from there. While you're at it, try and call and threaten to leave to reduce some bills too. Many people do this and claim to save so much money on their phone bills.

- Sell on eBay. I've already highlighted the benefits of selling on eBay and an easy starter guide right here.

- Go to the library. Why keep buying books when you can rent books for free? Doesn't that make more sense? An added bonus is that you can support your local community and meet new people!

- Stop those bad habits. Do you smoke? Drink? You see where I'm getting at? You know how much these things cost, why not cut them out and save some money and be a bit healthier?

- Be honest. If you can't afford to go out and do something or buy something, be honest, whether that be with other people or yourself. Don't put yourself in financial trouble because you don't want to tell someone the truth. They'll get it, we all do.

Like these tips? Got some of your own? Feel free to tell me in the comments below and share with your friends!